Beet topper



March 23 1926.

A. F. GARCIA BEET TOPPER Filed Oct. 8. 1925 -W .M MESE-l mvsm'oa my ewc' ATTORNEY anaanuaagonnao coz-.pon a c o .n muuu unonuaounlnn Patented Mar. z3, i926.

UNITED "rss i isn-i742 Parent "Wien ABILIQ r. GARCIA, or sanne oriana,` cALrFonN-IA.

IBEET TOPIER,

application filed october s, 1925', `sei-au. No. since.

To all whom, t may concern! Be itknown that I, Animo F. @enorm a citizen of Portugal, and arresident of Santa Clara, in the county of Santa Clara and State oft California7 have invented certain new and useful Improvements Ainleet Toppers, of which the following is a speciiication.

lt is one object of my invention to provide a beet topper that will eiliectually remove the beets from the ground and top them with a `minimum amount of manual labor.

lt is another object of my invention to provide a vehicle that will .ietliectually eX-k tract the beets from the ground as it passes thereover and carry them to an elevated table for the topping operation.

It is still another object ot' my invention to provide an effective means for carrying` the beets against a. cutting edge or blade and means for holding the beets firmly in position during the topping` process.

It is still another object of my invention to provide la cutting' mechanism `that will handle beets of all sizes.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a heet topper of the character in-V by axle 2 and wheels 3.

F12:L to maintain the proper tension.

'if he elevator comprises brackets -Ll mount ed on frame l and in which is mounted a sha-'ft 5 driven by a Vchain and sprocket drive 6 from axle 2, the shaft carrying, in theV present instance, spaced sprockets 7.

Pivotally mountd on shaft 5 is a guide 8 having sides 9 and having a shaft l0 mounted in Yits lower end, the shaft 10 carrying spaced sprockets 11. Chains 12 are mounted on sprockets 7 and 11 and on an idler On these two chains 12-12' are mounted spaced and transversely arranged bars 13', each bar terrains' several spaced and curved fingers le so that when the mechanism is set in motion lby the 'forward movement of vthe vehicle the chains will travel upwardly on the guide 8 and the curved fingers 'will carry the beets picked upby them to and.:`

over the upper end oi the elevator.

Any means may be used for swinging` the elevator about its pivot 5 so as to insert the lingers in the ground or remove them therefrom, such as link l5 pivoted to the pivoted at 17a.

The framel carries a trough 18 arranged at right angles thereto and so positioned as to 'receive the beets'discl'iarged by `eleva- .tor 89 at one end., a stripper 19 being mounted thereon to insure the freeing ot the beets from the carrier.

The cutting mechanism comprises a cir cular blade `20 mounted underneath the bottom oftroughfl as at 2l and driven by grears V22 andl shaft 23, shaft 23 beiner carried by brackets or hangers 24: and driven by chain and sprocket drive25 from axle 2.

To secure the proper feeding of the beets to the knit'e l provide a chain 26 'carryingl y fingers 27 and mounted onthree sprockets as 28-29-30` mounted on bearings 531-82 and 33 respectively and'so positioned asito carry the fingers 27 in a plane parallel to the bottom ot' the trough 18 and close thereto with substantially one-half. ol the chain outside of the trough as shown. The

`elevator at i6v and to an operating lever' l7 sprocket 29 is arranged between sprockets Y To hold the beets in position duringthe cutting` process I provide a bar 34 carrying and 30 and just above the cutting blade a number oi spring; elements 3e and nliounted on a spring 34h which is angularly positioncd relative to the side of trough 18 and is secured theretoat one end as shown at The other end is bent at substantially right angles as at 34d and passes through the side of the trough and is fitted with a spring 35 and anut 36. y

To drivethe chain and sprocket mechalnism described I provide a gear 37 on the lower end ofshaft 3S carryingsprocket 30,

and this gear is driven by the gear and shaft connections 39-40--41-42' to shaft 23.

It is desirable in a device of this kind that suitable means be provided for regulatingthe out. For thispurpose' I'orm an openinge3 in the licor of th'trough 1S;

the cutting blade 2O projecting beyond the forward edge ofthis opening a distance as shown. r

At eld- I show a roller mounted ust below and parallel with the rear edge of the opening 43 and having a gear connection 45 with the shaft 4.6 of gear 28. On this roller is a belt 4T engaging an idler roller i8 carried by notched bars Li9 engaging pins 50 on the sides of trough i8. This idler roller is positioned below blade 2O and parallel with the forward edge of opening f3 and may be raised or lowered as desired according to the amount desired to be cut from the beets.

In operation the-machine is drawn along the beet rows in which the beets have been previously loosened by means of a plow or other suitable device, and the elevator is lowered until the lingers 14e enter the loose ground where they pick up the beets and deposit them in the trough 18.

The operator now picks the beets up one a time and places them upside down in the 'claws formed by the fingers 27 and chain Qt?.

Each beet is now drawn forwardly resting` ou the belt eli", the resilient elements Sil and their spring; mounting holding,` the beet snugly in the claw 27-26. TWhen the beeten` Vpages the blade 2O revolving at high speed the head portion between the blade 2O and belt l? is cut off, the amount removed beingdetermined by the position of the belt relative to the knife as described.

The Vvarious gear and chain connections are, of course, properly proportioned to secure the desired speeds of the various operatinfr elements, and it is also to be understood that changes in form, construction and method of operation may be made within thc-scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

lylu a beet topper, a table, a cutter ele- Y mont operatively mounted parallel with and Y in close proximity to the bottom thereof, a

belt operatively mounted .on the tableY to more in a plane parallel to the cutter and adjacent thereto, spaced beet engaging elements mounted on said belt and arranged itt/avea Vbelt and cutter in coordinate relation with cach other.

2. vln a beet topper, a table, a beet carrier mounted to move over the` bottom of said table in parallel relation thereto and adjacent thereto,'said carrier including elements adapted to support the beets in perpendicular relation to the bottom of said table, and acutter ojl'ierativelyv mounted in the path of traffel of the beets in said carrier, and meansfor operating said carrier and cutter in coordinate relation with each other. f

In a beet topper, a table, a carrier belt operatively mounted to travel edgewise thereorer in close proximity thereto and carrying beet engaging iinpers curvingoutwardly and forwardly therefrom in the direction of travel of the belt, a cutter operatively mounted in the path of travel of the beet ing said beit and cutter in coordinate relation with each other.

4. In combination With a table and beet carrier and cutter mechanism operatively mounted thereon, a resilient element mounted on the table in opposed relation to said carrier, and a plurality of resilient fingers mounted on said element and extending outwardly therefrom to points adjacentto said carrier 5. in a beet topper, a table, a carrier belt operatively mounted to travel edgewise thereover in close proximity thereto and carrying spaced beet engaging lingers curving' outwardly therefrom in the direction of travel of the belt, a cutter operatively mounted in the path of travel of the beets in said carrier, and. resilient fingers mounted on said table in opposed relation to said belt and extending between said spaced fingers.

ABILI() F. GARCIA,

in said carrier, and means for operat- 

